Exposure and Truth

Looking at Yukiko, Lin Maoxian did not answer her questions. Instead, he asked her in return, "Let's set that aside for now. I want to know—did Mr. Kudo come back with you?"

When Lin Maoxian asked about her husband, Yukiko froze. "No, he didn't come back with me. Why are you asking that?"

When Lin Maoxian learned that Kudo Yusaku had not returned to Japan, he let out a breath of relief in his heart. Kudo Yusaku was even smarter than his son, Kudo Shinichi. Back when he was in Japan, there had been no case he could not solve. He was practically another Sherlock Holmes. If he had come back too, Lin Maoxian would never be able to keep up an act in front of him. Trying to fool him with lies and the like would be far too difficult. As long as he had not returned, there were plenty of things Lin Maoxian did not have to be so cautious about and could still go ahead and do.

"I assume Mr. Kudo told you all of this?"

Yukiko felt that if she admitted those words just now had been taught to her by her husband, wouldn't she lose a lot of face in front of her good friend Eri? "Who said that? I thought of all this myself. After Eri called and told me what happened, I guessed that there was something very wrong with you. What does that have to do with Yusaku? Don't think you can change the subject."

"Change the subject? No, no. I'm not changing the subject. I've made a point of learning about your family. After you moved to Los Angeles in America, you relied on Mr. Kudo's deductions to solve cases publicly on television and became famous, becoming a household-name female detective in America, known as the 'Baroness of the Dark Night.' Am I right?" Lin Maoxian said to Yukiko somewhat frivolously.

"Hmph." Hearing Lin Maoxian expose her detective reasoning, Yukiko let out an unhappy cold snort. Still, she said with a sneer, "Then what you mean is that you didn't seek me out specifically to invite me here, but had some other special purpose. I'm afraid you approached Eri on purpose too, didn't you?"

Lin Maoxian did not answer her. Instead, he turned to Kisaki Eri, whose face was full of disbelief, and said sincerely, "Eri, I didn't approach you on purpose. Meeting you there that day really was just an accident. This matter is somewhat dangerous, and I don't want to drag you into it. Next, let me speak with Ms. Yukiko alone. You go downstairs and wait for me first. When the time comes, I'll tell you where I came from, all right?"

The man before her looked utterly sincere, and Kisaki Eri believed him. She trusted her own judgment. She had already been wrong once before; this time, she definitely would not be wrong again. Thinking of her close friend beside her, she still asked Lin Maoxian, "Is it dangerous? Then will Yukiko..."

Understanding that she was worried about Yukiko's safety, Lin Maoxian cut off her question. "Don't worry. I guarantee to you that Ms. Yukiko's life will not be in danger. I guarantee it!" That last sentence was spoken with great force.

Yukiko, whose curiosity had been piqued, also persuaded her. "Eri, don't worry. I'll be fine. I really want to know what exactly is going on as soon as possible. You go downstairs and wait for us first."

Listening to the two of them persuade her, Kisaki Eri could only stop saying more. After reminding them to talk things over properly, she opened the door and left.

After Kisaki Eri had gone, Yukiko said seriously to Lin Maoxian, "I can see that Eri has really been moved this time. Don't be like Kogoro. Remember to treat Eri better, understand? Otherwise, I won't let you off."

"Of course. I'll treat her well. Otherwise, forget you—I wouldn't let myself off either," Lin Maoxian said in assurance.

Seeing that Lin Maoxian's expression was serious and his tone was extremely sincere, Yukiko laughed lightly. "All right, as long as you know that yourself. Then tell me now, why did you come looking for me? Or should I say, shouldn't you introduce yourself first?"

Seeing the excitement and curiosity in Yukiko's eyes, Lin Maoxian could only make things up. "Ahem! Fine. Since you've seen through me, I'll tell you the truth. I didn't lie about my name. I'm from China and belong to a special national department. This department is confidential, so I can't tell you about it. You can just think of it as an organization like America's FBI or CIA."

America's CIA and FBI were both extremely famous. If it held the same special position in China as they did in America, then it represented the stance of the nation. Hearing Lin Maoxian state his identity, Yukiko became even more excited. She felt there was a huge secret waiting for her after this. As a Chinese agent—in her eyes, Lin Maoxian was an agent—he had run all the way to Japan to handle business, and it was even related to her. Just thinking about it made her excited. "Then tell me. What did you come to Japan to do? And what does it have to do with me? Why did you have to bring me back to Japan? You should know I've never even been to China." In order to learn the truth sooner, even Yukiko's tone became urgent.

What a curious woman! Lin Maoxian sighed. Then he said unhurriedly, "I came to Japan this time to track down the whereabouts of an organization. Members of this organization committed a major case in China, and I followed the clues to Japan. Because I can't get support from the organization in Japan, I had no choice but to take things one step at a time."

Yukiko was very puzzled. "Then what does that have to do with me? Don't tell me you want me to help you. Although I'd very much like to help, I still have to say, there isn't much I can do for you. I think you should go to the Metropolitan Police Department for help."

"It was only by chance that I learned this, but in truth, the one who is truly connected to this matter is your son—Kudo Shinichi," Lin Maoxian said, directly ignoring what Yukiko said after that. Go to the Japanese Metropolitan Police Department for help? God knew that as soon as they checked things like his documents, everything would be over. Besides, he did not think the Japanese police would help a Chinese "agent." It would already be lucky if they did not arrest him as a spy.

"What? Shinichi? How does Shinichi get dragged into this? Did something happen to Shinichi?" Yukiko became very nervous. She had only this one son, and he was unbelievably precious to her. If something had really happened, she truly would not know what to do.

Lin Maoxian said in a threatening tone, "Kudo Shinichi? Heh. I'm afraid there may no longer be such a person as Kudo Shinichi in this world."

"What do you mean by that? Could Shinichi have..." Yukiko only felt everything around her go dark. Her body swayed, and in the end, she fell into a nearby chair. Kudo Shinichi no longer existed in this world. Aside from already being dead, she could not think of any other situation that could be described as no longer existing in the world.

Looking at Yukiko's pale face and devastated expression, Lin Maoxian knew that the joke had gone about far enough. If he kept going, who knew what might happen? When the time came, even he might end up getting burned. "Don't overthink it. I can guarantee that your son is fine."

Lin Maoxian's words were like a ray of light appearing in endless darkness, illuminating Yukiko's heart. Filled with hope, she asked, "Really? Didn't you just say he was no longer in this world? Were you lying to me just now?"

"I didn't lie to you just now. When I tracked the members of that organization to Japan, I only happened to hear that someone among them had killed the high school detective Kudo Shinichi." When he reached this point, he deliberately stopped and glanced at Yukiko, whose face had grown even paler, before continuing, "I thought this might be a good opportunity. If the famous high school detective had been killed, the police definitely wouldn't let it go, right? When the time came, I could guide the police toward them and have the police deal with them, giving me a chance to arrest people. I didn't expect that after I prepared to commission the current famous detective, Mouri Kogoro, to search for information related to Kudo Shinichi, I would discover a shocking secret: Kudo Shinichi wasn't dead at all."

Only after hearing that Kudo Shinichi was not dead did Yukiko's complexion improve. Then her curiosity was aroused by Lin Maoxian's words. "Then where exactly did Shinichi go? And how are you sure he's fine?"

"Once I say the answer, I believe you'll be very shocked too." As Lin Maoxian spoke, he took a chair and sat down beside Yukiko. "Through my investigation, I discovered that the little boy currently staying temporarily at the Mouri Detective Agency—Edogawa Conan—has a very obvious problem."

Yukiko, beside him, tactfully asked, "What problem? And what does it have to do with Shinichi?"

"I made a major discovery. It turns out that whenever the famous detective 'Sleeping Kogoro' makes his deductions, that little boy is never at the scene. But before the deduction, that little boy is extremely active at the crime scene and often notices places others failed to observe, providing very important clues for solving the case. Most importantly, I discovered that there's something wrong with that watch of his. There's actually an anesthetic gun installed inside it, capable of firing anesthetic needles that knock people out. I have to say, the person who made it has quite good technical skill. Combining all this information, don't you understand?" Lin Maoxian felt very satisfied with Yukiko's question. It gave him the feeling of being a detective. It was as if he were currently analyzing some case, with an uninformed person beside him playing along, making it seem perfect. So he simply told her.

Yukiko's reaction also seemed very cooperative. She stood up in shock. "You're saying that 'Sleeping Kogoro' is nothing but an empty reputation, and the one who really solves the cases is that little boy? That's too unbelievable. It's truly hard to believe."

"I also found it hard to believe. How could a little boy be so smart, as if he understood everything? So I conducted an even deeper investigation into him, and at last I discovered something that linked him to Kudo Shinichi." As Lin Maoxian spoke, he laughed, feeling a little impressed with himself. He really could make things up. He had obviously known it from watching the anime before, yet he insisted on saying that he had discovered it through all sorts of investigations, as if he had become a famous detective himself.